After the coronation of Charles III at Westminster Abbey, the carriage drove through the streets of London to Buckingham Palace. But one of the horses in the procession was spotted running into the crowd.
The incident could have turned dramatic. On the way out of the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the procession was somewhat jostled on Saturday 6 May. A horse in the Royal Guard got out of control, retreating forcefully into the crowd and forcing the guards to move aside. The horse, from the Household Cavalry regiment, was part of the procession following the British monarchs carriage through the streets of London. It was eventually brought under control but a guard appeared to be limping after the horse jostled him. His foot was reportedly trampled by the horse, according to the Daily Express.
Nearly 4,000 soldiers were taking part in the mile-long procession to escort the royal carriage after the church service at Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. And thousands of Britons turned out to applaud the King and Queen. The last coronation took place 70 years ago, in 1953, for Queen Elizabeth II. A total of 2,000 people attended the historic ceremony, compared to 8,000 in the late Queen’s time. At the end of the ceremony, the Royal Family waved to the crowd from the famous Buckingham Palace balcony. Alongside Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and his wife Princess of Wales and their three children were present. Prince Harry did not attend. He will have come to London for a quick trip back and forth as he is already on his way home, on the plane to California.
A horse that walks sideways
Another horse had also been acting up during the day, before the ceremony. In front of millions of television viewers, a four-legged horse started walking in a funny way. As the procession made its way to Westminster Abbey, the horse carrying one of the musicians on its back had fun walking sideways. On social networks, many people had fun mocking the animal. “The very subversive horse […] continues its silent rebellion against the monarchy,” wrote one Englishman on Twitter. “Now I’d like to know if they can moonwalk these horses,” asked another user of the social network.
Photo credits: Agency / Bestimage